After a long absence from the game, it seems that leaks are back in MTG in style for Lorwyn Eclipsed. We already saw the face Commanders for the set’s precons early a couple of weeks back, and now, right on the cusp of its Debut stream, a huge chunk of the set has been leaked online. We’re not just talking commons and uncommons here, either, but a big batch of rares and mythics, too.
While this is obviously very unfortunate for Wizards, the good news is that there are a ton of notable cards in these leaks worth talking about. If these cards are any indication, Lorwyn Eclipsed should live up to the hype and then some.
Oko, Lorwyn Liege/Oko, Shadowmoor Scion
Oko, Lorwyn Liege
– Mana Value: 2U
– Type: Legendary Planeswalker – Oko
– Rarity: Mythic Rare
– Card Text: At the beginning of your first main phase, you may pay G. If you do, transform Oko.
+2: Up to one target creature gains all creature types. (This effect doesn’t end.)
+1: Target creature gets -2/-0 until your next turn.
– Starting Loyalty: 3
Oko, Shadowmoor Scion
– Type: Legendary Planeswalker – Oko
– Card Text: At the beginning of your first main phase, you may pay U. If you do, transform Oko.
-1: Mill three cards. You may put a permanent card from among them into your hand.
-3: Create two 3/3 green Elk creature tokens.
-6: Choose a creature type. You get an emblem with “Creatures you control of the chosen type get +3/+3 and have Vigilance and Hexproof.”
Perhaps the most exciting reveal from today’s MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed leaks is the much-rumored double-faced Oko planeswalker card. This is a really interesting design, since the card only has plus abilities on the front side and minus abilities on the back. As a result, you really have to think about when to flip it and which abilities you’ll have access to if you do.
The front half, Oko, Lorwyn Liege, is honestly pretty underwhelming. Giving a creature all creature types permanently is cool, but unlikely to matter much outside of wacky combo lines. The plus one is also just mediocre protection, which we’ve seen do very little on plenty of planeswalkers in the past.
Once Oko flips into Shadowmoor Scion, things get a lot more interesting. Both the card advantage and token generation abilities here feel pretty strong, and you can potentially use both after just one activation of the plus two. The ultimate is also pretty scary, and not too hard to reach.
Unfortunately, the need to jump back and forth to build up loyalty again will probably kill this card. It seems too slow and clunky for both Commander and Standard, which leaves it in a bit of an awkward spot. Hopefully, a key synergy can salvage it later, but for now, I’m not optimistic.
Moonshadow
– Mana Value: B
– Type: Creature – Elemental
– Rarity: Mythic Rare
– Card Text: Menace.
This creature enters with six -1/-1 counters on it.
Whenever one or more permanent cards are put into your graveyard from anywhere while this has a -1/-1 counter on it, remove a -1/-1 counter from this creature.
– Stats: 7/7
Carrying on the proud tradition of Death’s Shadow, Moonshadow offers an absurd statline with a heavy downside. A one-mana 7/7 with Menace is terrifying, no matter which format you’re playing. Unfortunately, you won’t get to use most of that until you’ve worked off the six -1/-1 counters the card enters with.
Since these counters aren’t placed by an enters trigger, you can’t avoid them with cards like Doorkeeper Thrull. Instead, you’ll have to do things properly and drop permanents in your graveyard to get rid of them. Thankfully, this condition is pretty open-ended. Creatures dying will work, naturally, but so will permanents milled from your deck or discarded from your hand. Heck, even Fetchlands will help bring the counters down.
Because of this, I expect Moonshadow to shine the brightest in older formats, where it can reach its full potential the fastest. While it can’t get quite as big as Death’s Shadow, it can quickly outpace Nethergoyf, and it packs welcome evasion to boot. I don’t see this one doing much in Standard or Commander, but if we see cards that use your own -1/-1 counters as a resource, I could easily be proven wrong.
Catharsis
– Mana Value: 4 W/R W/R
– Type: Creature – Elemental Incarnation
– Rarity: Mythic Rare
– Card Text: When this creature enters, if WW was spent to cast it, create two 1/1 green and white Kithkin creature tokens.
When this creature enters, if RR was spent to cast it, creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain Haste until end of turn.
Evoke W/R W/R.
– Stats: 3/4
We’ve already seen two of the MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed Evoke Elementals in Emptiness and Deceit, and today’s leaks added the Boros member of the cycle to the mix. Catharsis, more so than its peers, seems designed for Aggro decks. It can be two mana for two 1/1 tokens, two mana for a Goblin Bushwhacker effect, or six mana for both and a 3/4.
All three of the modes here seem fairly solid. If you need to build your board early, the double white mode is ideal. If you’re fishing for a finisher later on, the double red mode has your back. The rate on both modes here is better than what we saw on Deceit and Emptiness, which makes me inclined to believe this will see more play.
Of course, the main issue for Catharsis will be finding a home. Boros doesn’t really have a presence in Standard right now, so that’s probably a no-go, and Modern Boros Energy seems totally out of the question. Powerful as it is, I could easily see Catharsis relegated to Commander play unless we see some big meta shifts.
Spinerock Tyrant
– Mana Value: 3RR
– Type: Creature – Dragon
– Rarity: Mythic Rare
– Card Text: Flying.
Wither (This deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.)
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell with a single target, you may copy it. If you do, those spells gain Wither. You may choose new targets for the copy.
– Stats: 6/6
Spinerock Tyrant is the epitome of the “huh, that’s neat” archetype of mythic in Magic. In a vacuum, it’s a really cool card, bringing back the Wither mechanic from Shadowmoor in an interesting way. Unfortunately, because of its clunky casting cost and abilities, it’s very unlikely to actually make an impact anywhere.
Tyrant having Wither itself isn’t very relevant, since most creatures aren’t surviving combat with a 6/6. There’s minor synergy to be had with cards like Nest of Scarabs in Commander, but nothing particularly powerful. Granting Wither to your spells isn’t great either, since it really only works with creature-specific burn spells, meaning its window of use is quite narrow.
Where Spinerock Tyrant could find a niche for itself is as a more generic instant/sorcery duplicator. Even if the Wither isn’t relevant, copying any spell with a single target can be pretty potent. We’ve all seen how good Fire Lord Azula is, after all. Tyrant is more expensive, more conditional, and not legendary, so I wouldn’t expect a similar impact, but I could definitely see it enabling some combo lines in Commander very soon.
Mirrorform
– Mana Value: 4UU
– Type: Instant
– Rarity: Mythic Rare
– Card Text: Each nonland permanent you control becomes a copy of target non-Aura permanent.
Mirrorform is an extremely tricky card to evaluate. At first glance, it looks like your typical ‘fun but jank’ mythic designed for Commander and nowhere else. Dig deeper, however, and the card’s hidden depths reveal themselves.
For example, what’s really notable here is the lack of an “until end of turn” clause. The permanents you transform with Mirrorform stay transformed permanently, which immediately gives it an edge. Combined with its instant speed, you can turn your whole board into beefy creatures on your opponent’s end step, then swing in the following turn.
The other really cool thing Mirrorform lacks is a “nonland” clause. If you so wish, you can turn all of your nonland permanents into lands, potentially resulting in a backbreaking ramp turn. This is also a great way to dodge board wipes in Commander, letting you rebuild much faster than the competition.
The possibilities here are near-endless, and powerful to boot. Unfortunately, costing six mana is a very real downside and will probably keep Mirrorform from seeing any kind of serious constructed play. It is a card with a ton of combo potential, mind you, so be sure to keep it in the back of your mind as we move into Lorwyn Eclipsed Standard.
Much, Much More!
As exciting as the new MTG mythics we saw in today’s Lorwyn Eclipsed leaks are, they’re also just the tip of the iceberg. The leaks go far beyond that, encompassing a ton of rares, uncommons, and commons as well.
At the rare slot, the leaks give a taste of some of the mechanics we’ll be seeing in the set. The Champion cycle, featuring cards like Champion of the Clachan, brings back Behold for different creature types. We’ll also be getting a full cycle of Kindred Command spells, on top of Ashling’s Command, from the official previews.
Other leaked cards confirm that Convoke is back in a big way, as suspected, and that mechanics like Affinity for Forests will be in the mix, too. Some one-off designs, like the ‘tutor every turn’ Mornsong Aria, are very spicy as well.
All in all, there are about 24 leaked rares in today’s batch, as well as 49 uncommons and 80 commons. That’s a huge chunk of the set, marking a big blow for Wizards on the eve of one of its most-hyped releases. Fortunately, since official previews are due to start just a few hours from now, the impact of these leaks should be minimal.
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